


No's a given, a yes might be gifted

by wwwinteriscoming



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst and Fluff, Get Together, Got your back, Grave miscommunication, M/M, Pining, Rans & Holtz with the C, Tooth Rotting Fluff, WARNING: Skimmed over description of panic attack, Winter Screw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-04 22:32:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6677956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wwwinteriscoming/pseuds/wwwinteriscoming
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Graduation didn't happen. Jack is with the Falcs and Rans & Holtz are being even more determined on finding Bitty a date for Winter Screw now they have the C. The following ensues. Also, the Tumblr-link is to the group chat in text message format, because I can't seem to put it on here, sorry!</p><p>Based on the Tumblr post: "my best friend just called me to ask what color he should wear to prom and I was like "um?? idk??" and he goes "well, we have to match, so like what color is ur dress??" but he never asked me to go so I was kinda confused so I told him "hey, yeah since when are we going to prom??" and the line goes silent for a bit and he very quietly whispers "shit. i forgot to ask u." (vangohing.tumblr.com)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Now that Jack’s settled in as much as he ever settles in over the span of a couple weeks, he has decided to be proactive about his friends again. Shitty has been insistently Skyping, calling and texting him and he’s heard from Bittle a couple times (smiles that would not leave for days and he was mercilessly teased about). He, for one, decided to reinvest some of his time in the SMH group chat. Which, incidentally, turned out to be a mistake. It started blowing up about Winter Screw again, because apparently, now bearing the C, Rans and Holtz have felt their duty to find everybody “the best” date has exponentially increased. He only reads the conversation of the past day, but he notices that Bitty’s completely absent from the conversation and so are the (poor, probably traumatized) frogs. 

 

<http://wwwinteriscoming.tumblr.com/post/143518421087/rans-and-holtz-feel-like-with-the-c-their-duty>

Rans: Bits, you have to give us something to go by. You didn’t ‘dislike’ the previous two guys. Okay. That does not help us AT ALL. Your type cannot just be “guy”. It’s, like, sCIENTIFICALLY IMPOSSIBLE

 

Holtz: if the importance of this has not yet sunk in, my boy, I would like to tell you one word that might make you feel GUILTY ENOUGH to share something: coral reef

 

Shitty: that’s two words shithead

 

Holtz: IT’S NOT

 

Rans: STUPID POSH HARVARD TYPE STFU we are being simultaneously the best bros and captains this team has ever known, because we are going to get Bitty LAID

 

Lardo: Guys. You are talking to yourselves more than anything. Have you asked Bitty’s input on the whole concept of you getting him a date?

 

Shitty: do u have 2 ask, lards?

 

Holtz: we just want our southern belle to be HAPPY. why do you not support us in this quest?

 

Lardo: Nobody is denying your good intentions. Maybe, there’s just.. A better way to go about it?

 

Rans: any suggestions?

 

Shitty: uhm idk TALK 2 HIM U LIVE W HIM U FUCKING MORONS honestly this is the shit u would have received a punch 4 

 

Holtz: glad to have you this far away, bro

 

Lardo: I will punch them lightly next time I see them

 

Rans: WHAT IS THIS TREASON, LARDO? ARE YOU SERIOUS??

 

His blood runs cold at the thought of Rans and Holtz prying Bitty’s type out of him and finding him the perfect match. Finding a guy who’ll be with him in public and who lives on campus. He should wish that for Bitty. He does actually wish it for Bitty. He just.. Also desperately wishes that guy to be nobody other than himself, which are two contradictory emotions and because he has needs, too, as Shitty frequently reminds him, he mixes them both a little in his response. 

 

 

Jack: Bittle is an adult and he can make his own choices, guys. Being a captain doesn’t mean you get to enforce your ideas of things on your team members. I didn’t teach you anything even close to that. 

 

There is a pause for a couple of minutes, but he doesn’t feel like he’s being ignored. He feels like it’s more of a pregnant pause.

 

Bitty: Thanks, Jack.

 

And he hadn’t expected that. Shit. Because of all the talk about Bitty without him actually participating, Jack had sort of forgotten he was also a part of the conversation and now he went all dry and “Bittle” on him and he went all dry back on him and his hand shakes a little while he watches the other responses pour in.

 

Rans: HOLY SHIT HIOLY SHIT HOLY SHTI A NHL PLAYER JUST CALLED US OUT ON OUR SHIT HOLY FUCK QMDFQMKD

 

Holtz: HE’S DELICATE, ZIMMERMAN, I DON’T FUCKING CARE HOW MANY ZEROS ARE ON YOUR PAYCHECK, I WILL HURT YOU

 

Lardo: Ah, the immer stern voice of reason, be welcome.

 

Shitty: yeahhhhhhh *fist bump* a bit more soul and ur ready 2 roll w the best of em m8

 

Holtz: we are also maybe sorry, but we are not apologizing to any of you other than bits. sorry, bits!

 

Bitty: It’s okay, guys, but have it be known: if I want a date for Winter Screw, I’ll have one, but I’m capable of arranging one myself if I’d want to, okay?

 

Shitty: gud talk, gud talk, i rubbed off on ALL OF U 

 

Jack is a little confused by Bitty’s statement. Is there someone he wants to go with? Is there someone he’s planning on asking? He hasn’t mentioned anybody, but then again they’ve never really talked about that kind of stuff. Mostly because Jack was always caught unaware by the intensity of his feelings when others did talk about it to Bitty and he heard snippets of another person and Bitty’s love for them. If he keeps going down this path, he’s going to end up with bleeding palms, he thinks absently, looking down at where his nails have dug crescent moons into them already. 

 

It’s not fair to Bitty to spring all these feelings and this.. Want that Jack’s only realized was there after he was faced with the Bitty-shaped hole in his life after leaving Samwell. He couldn’t be in a kitchen without hearing his tinkling laugh, smelling something baking, hearing the comforting sound of Bitty humming under his breath and stirring something in a bowl. 

 

Shitty says he’s sulking, but he’s not. Not really. It’s just difficult to have it for a few days, to have it all be so natural and easy and so overwhelming and everything at the same time when he visits the Haus only to lose it all over again when he gets back in his car. He just thinks it’s better if he adjusts to this new reality of his. Which, as Lardo and Shitty pointed out to him, both of them stoned and trying to punch him through Skype, is beyond moronic, because they spent years of their lives pointing out to him that he’s allowed happiness. That nothing worth fighting for ever comes easy. And he’d eyed them speculatively and gestured between the two of them and.. They’d shut up. Honestly, ever since Jack found out that calling them out on their their own more than strange relationship usually had them stumbling over one another to change the topic of conversation. He doesn’t abuse it. Well, not more than strictly necessary for his own sanity. 

 

Jack has realized, far too late and with a little help from “his Knight in shining armor” that there’s a Jack shaped hole in Bitty’s life, too. That there’s been a Jack sized hole by his side even when Jack was there. Jack tries to tell himself not to hope. Because he both wants Bitty to have moved on, to have found somebody else he might want to ask, but he also hopes that that hole that’ll fit him snugly is still there. He would be honored to fill it.

 

The group chat stays silent about Bitty’s date to Winter Screw. 

 

Jack would very much like it to not stay silent about his date. But only if that means there’d be some implication about Bitty’s feelings. Otherwise he would rather not know. Jack doesn’t know how he managed to find himself yearning for a combination of some of his worst fears: dances, conversations about feelings and social technology. He finds he can’t quite regret it, because it’s a good fear. It’s the kind where he buzzes with anticipation, where everything is a little sharper, a little clearer.

 

A few days before Winter Screw, he calls Chowder. He knows he can get information out of Chowder without Chowder realizing he’s giving away information or that Jack’s asking for information. And, well, a little adoration never hurts if he’s going to actually ask Bitty out after that conversation.

 

He braces himself, but still winces a little when Chowder answers his phone with a “Holy shit, JACK ZIMMERMAN IS CALLING ME!!!!!!!!” He can practically hear the exclamation points after that statement and Chowder bouncing around whatever space he’s occupying. He hopes it’s safe. Bitty would never forget him if he let something happen to his “sweet baby Chowder”. “WHY IS A HOCKEY LEGEND CALLING ME? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS HONOUR?” Now Jack winces a little harder, because wow, he’s actually trying to listen to what Chowder says, but it’s hard when it comes across as just lots of noise. “Chowder, my guy, could you maybe, like, speak at a lower volume? For the benefit of the people around you, the speakers of my phone and my eardrums? Please?” Jack asks, hoping it was on the right side of the good naturedly chirping versus telling off line and that if he does cross it, Bitty won’t be too mad at him. Having conversations with Chowder is hard in real life. Over the phone, it’s a genuine challenge like Jack’s not often presented with. “Oh. Oh, yes, ofcourse, STUPID of me. So what DO I owe this grand HONOUR to, Jack?” And honestly, it’s so much of an improvement Jack barely even notices that there’s still some words being yelled into his ears too loud to be considered healthy. “Yeah, I was just wondering: does the Haus have any special plans for Winter Screw? And how’s it going with Farmer? You going with her?” 

 

“YES YES I AM GOING WITH HER! Can you BELIEVE she said yes?” Honestly, yes, Jack can believe she did, because she’s been dating Chowder for over a year now, but he refrains from commenting. “It’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!” Chowder makes an unintelligible noise which Jack hopes doesn’t mean he’s, like, suffocating himself, because he’s at least pretty sure it’s a happy kind of agony? 

 

“We were planning on having dinner all together, but Bitty says he’s going to join us later on, because he has special plans for his date, so Jack,” Chowder makes an indignant noise “not only are we not getting information about who his date is, we’re also not allowed to eat in our own home AND we’re not allowed to eat Bits’ no doubt wonderful cooking. DO YOU SEE THE INJUSTICE? Like, I’m so happy for Bits though? Like, after you stepped in, Rans and Holtz have, like, totally kept their distance, which you did really good, y’know, the stepping in and anyway, Bits will make whatever he’s making for us once, too, or maybe he’ll even keep a bit for me, he does that sometimes…” And Chowder goes on for a couple minutes, but Jack can’t find it in himself to will himself to focus, because Bitty has very, very keenly thought out an entire evening with a guy not a single Haus member knows of and his heart has just shattered.

 

His hand holding the phone starts shaking a little and it’s absurd how he was not scared about talking to a guy he doesn’t even really know all that well over the phone, because there was the possibility that might lead him to a date with Bitty and now that’s not just impossible, it’s like, completely prohibited, because he’s not going to mess with Bitty’s love life if he’s all happy and shit. He’s not. He doesn’t remember ending the conversation with Chowder, hope he did it smoothly, reasonably polite. He thinks he did. He’s been drilled to be the utmost respectful down to his very core and those instincts kick in every time, so he thinks that must be fine. At least one participant of this conversation won’t suffer from it.

 

Jack feels around for something he can grab hold of and eventually braces himself against the counter, knuckles turning white as he dials another number while he tries to steady his breathing and stop the tears. Both of which are pretty unsuccessful. But Shitty picks up and Shitty knows how to handle this, so Shitty picks up the pieces of Jack, even from far away, with just his voice and his understanding and his presence in Jack’s mind and heart. Not for the first time, he wonders how he managed to luck out this much with his best friend. He tells Shitty as much, raspy and raw, when he’s settled down and he merely laughs shortly and tells him he loves him.

 

If Jack throws himself a little more aggressive into training than strictly necessary, nobody comments on it. Not that anyone’s about to complain. He’s been playing great hockey and he’s in great shape, but he’s known to always want to be more, do more. “Be better,” his dad used to say. “Be better,” his bedroom wall says. “You’re good enough,” is what his Samwell friends taught him, from whom he shies away, because he is not. Will probably never be. 

With only a few days left on the counter to the evening he is still not very sure he’s going to spend to forget what’s happening at the Haus, Bitty calls him. The object of everything he’s trying to ignore just goes and calls him. He glares at the phone, at Bitty’s name and the adorable display picture and wills himself not to answer. But he hasn’t heard Bitty in a couple days and he’s kind of weak, so he picks up anyway.

“What can I do for you, Bittle?” He almost hears Bitty wince at the lack of nickname, hears the sharp inhale. Already wishes he could it back and he’s barely said a sentence.  
“Uh, hi, Jack, I was just wondering what you’re wearing for Winter Screw?” He sounds.. Excited. Jack’s happy for him, he really is. “Why does that even matter to you?” Jack sighs, because if he’s in this deep, might as well go all the way. “So we.. Match? Or, like, at least our outfits don’t aggressively not match? If you’re against that kind of thing?” Jack is at a loss of words. “Why?” “Because we’re going together, right? Like, I’m making you your favorite dinner, which I stole from the Falcs’ site, so you better not have lied on there, Mr Zimmerman, and then we’re going to Winter Screw, the two of us?” The happiness has bled out of his voice, steadily replaced with a shaky insecurity.

Jack wants to scream. Or laugh. He opts for the latter. He laughs so hard his abs hurt and doubled over and wheezing, he manages to squeak out “I am your special date? I am the person you cleared the house for and whose name you refuse to give to the team?” He’s pretty sure he would be very mad if somebody just started laughing like a lunatic during an apparently important phone call, but he can’t help it honestly. He wipes a stray tear from his eye and clutches his stomach when Bitty responds with a shy “Yes?”

“Bitty, you do realize you never actually asked me, right?” And then there’s silence on the other line. He honestly would have thought Bitty was gone if he didn’t still hear his breathing accelerate subtly. “Oh, my God,” he whispers then “Oh, my God, oh, my God,” and Jack doesn’t know what that means, so he gently prods. “Bitty, are you okay?” “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry, Jack! Like, so incredibly sorry, oh my, oh my, I was so caught up in first dodging Rans and Holtz and then in preparing that, oh my, that just slipped my mind. I can’t believe it, I’m such a mess,” Bitty sighs and his voice sounds thick with emotion, possibly tears. 

Jack hates it when Bitty cries. Hates it when there’s even the hint of tears. “Bitty,” he says softly. “Bitty,” he tries again when he doesn’t get any answer besides the soft sniffling. “Bitty, I was thinking maybe just my tux? So black and a white shirt and you can choose whether I wear my black bowtie or some other tie you’d like?”

Bitty goes quiet for a second and then he starts crying again. “Jack, you don’t have to do this, seriously, it’s fine if you don’t want to, I’ll just feed the team, they’ve been complaining about not getting food non-stop anyway,” he chokes out and Jack just, doesn’t get how his mind even strung together that Jack feels like he has to.

“Bittle,” he says, stern, because he knows it’ll catch Bitty’s attention “Eric Richard Bittle, you are sorely mistaken if you think I don’t want to go to Winter Screw with you. I might even have said the thing in the group chat, because I.. Wanted to go with you. And.. I was gonna ask you myself, but then I called Chowder to check and he was gushing about your preparations for your date and, well, can’t blame a boy for taking his conclusions from that, eh?” He inhales loudly and deeply. That was a lot of words and a lot of truth and he feels slightly light headed from it.

Meanwhile it’s dead silent on the other end of the line again. “I.. Are you sure?” He sounds the tiniest bit hopeful, but also like he’s scared of that hope. Jack hates it. “Yes. I.. I really like you, Bits,” he says and it’s not ideal, he didn’t want to say this over the phone, with Bitty crying and Jack this strung tight and angry, but he’s learnt to stop reaching for the ideal with everything. 

“I.. I like you, too, Mr Zimmerman. A whole lot. And I’d like it if you whipped out that beautiful blue tie from graduation that makes your eyes come out gloriously. I have a shirt in that color, so then we’re all set. See you here at seven for dinner?” Now he can hear the smile in his face and for the first time in the conversation, he allows himself to conjure up a mental image of Bitty, sitting all tangled up on his bed or desk chair, probably exasperatedly running a hand over his cheeks to wipe away the tears and biting his lip a little to hold back the smile. 

He wants to ask and say so much more, but he has practice and, with a wonderful high, he realizes that there will be time for all of that. Plenty of time. So he merely smiles and says “See you there, date.” And he hears Bitty choke a little, so he must have picked up something to drink in the meantime and laughs before saying he has practice to attend to. Bitty bids him goodbye with a “Can’t wait to see you, sweetheart,” that leaves him choking himself.


	2. These boys..

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter Screw

Jack isn’t good at dressing up. He’s, like, incapable of it, doesn’t really understand it. Which is unfortunate, for a professional hockey player. But he has George. Wonderfully capable and content George. He likes the guys on the team, might even think that he’ll become decent friends with some in time. But he thinks George will forever be his number one for any and all emergencies in Providence. She gets him better than Jack had ever expected her to. In fact, Jack didn’t do.. Female friends too well. He had Lardo. But Lardo was one in a million. Lardo’s something Jack’s never quite sure of he even deserved all those years and now still. George and he don’t do the silence thing. George mostly does the talking thing. 

Which she does again now. Jack’s texted her that he has to have an outfit for Winter Screw at Samwell and that he’s sort of already promised to wear his tux and a certain tie and texts her a picture of the tie and he tells himself that George does important things with her life, that she hasn’t got time to immediately answer to his every whim. But two minutes later, his phone is ringing and George is slightly breathless as she pants out that he cannot. 

“You can’t just do that, Zimmerman! That’s, like, such a strong violation of so many things, I’m honestly so disappointed your parents didn’t instill this in you. Then again, I have full faith in your parents and less faith in you having retained the information, so my point is: no. Why would you wear a tux to a college dance? This is just.. How important is this promise and how much can we bend it, because honest to God, you’re giving me very little time and room to fix this, so I need to know, like, the importance of this.”

“My date,” he says simply and he can honestly sense George stilling. Hears how she forces her still slightly accelerated breathing to slow.

“You are bringing a date.. You are bringing a date.. To Samwell of all places.. YOU CANNOT TOY WITH BITTY’S FEELINGS LIKE THAT, JACK!” And okay, Jack hadn’t expected that. A pleasantly warm feeling spreads through him at George’s no-questions-asked defending of Bitty.. To him. 

“Bitty is my date?” Jack tries carefully and honestly, he’s starting to regret this. Maybe he should have, like, Googled dress codes, but that’s just.. Asking for trouble. And asking either one of his parents is asking for double trouble, so he can put up with George being a whirlwind for a while. He can. He’s a grown man who really needs to know what to wear on his first date. 

He hears a faint thud. Swearing. Swearing that gets increasingly louder. A sigh. “I am so proud you finally got your shit together, Zimmerman.” She says and he can imagine her, tufts of hair having escaped from her chosen hairstyle, beet red face, nodding solemnly.

“I.. Didn’t,” He hesitantly answers, because honestly, of all conclusions to jump to, that’s the least logical one of them all. 

“So Bitty did? Ah yes, a man after my own heart,” she says reverently and Jack isn’t sure how to feel about the fact that he knows she’s now touching a hand to her heart unironically. Honestly, George’s ability to behave socially acceptable is almost as abysmal as his, just on the other side of the spectrum. Where he does nothing.. George does too much.

“….No,” Jack cringed a little now, because honestly, this woman. He had urgent questions that needed to be answered, he had very little time that could be devoted to her figuring it out on her own.

“He.. Sort of did. He was planning our date, but he forgot.. To actually ask me.” He word vomited through the phone and at first there was only a sharp intake of breath. Then a faint mutter of “These boys..” 

“You. Meet me at mine as soon as possible. Bring the tie. You are not wearing a tux to a college dance, you doofus. You’re already gonna be the most looked at person as it is, so yeah, that won’t be necessary. And you don’t want to outshine Bitty. Although you won’t, because that boy,” Jack’s pretty sure their happy sighs were in unison. He tries not to think about it.

“I”ll be there.”

When he arrives at the Haus two days later, on the agreed time and not a second later.. Okay, maybe he was even earlier. It was more than worth it though to see Bitty fuss over the hockey players that loomed over him, fixing their hair, their ties (if they were wearing any. Maybe he had to send George after all of them) adorably patting their shoulders and backs and chest and smiling and chatting with their dates. He hoped the tears would still be glistening in his eyes, so he could start the evening on a good note, a decent chirp.

“Surely I don't look that bad that it makes you want to cry?” He said as he casually (as casual as possible, dammit, Zimmerman, don’t run!) rounded the corner and Bitty started and rubbed his eyes furiously as he turned around to glare at him. 

“Well, here I was worrying you’d be behaving any differently,” He mumbled angrily, until he’d come face to face with Jack and then his jaw unhinged for a bit. Jack chuckled. He knew he looked good. George, bless her, had found him a shirt in the colour of the tie and a slightly darker tie. She’d made him roll the shirt sleeves up (“You have these exquisite arms, Zimmerman, you have to show them off!” When he’d only rolled his eyes at her, she’d slyly added “And they’re sure to make your boy swoon) and the tie a little looser than he normally would. He however, thought that was only meagre compared to his date.

Bitty had carefully styled his hair, which meant that the sun caught on both his golden hair and his wonderful cheekbones and the shirt he was wearing was neatly tucked into his pants and his tie was fixed neatly and the dark blue blazer showed off the line of his shoulders and the straightness of his back and.. Jack heaved in air, because he’d forgotten to that for a second there, too. Bitty chuckled. And Jack joined in. 

“Hey, handsome,” He said, getting up on his tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek, barely there, a ghost of a touch, but enough to render stony Jack Zimmerman beet red, he thought as he felt himself colour. 

Of course Bitty had outdone himself. Of course Jack ate until he felt like his shirt would actually rip if he ate any more. Of course there were friendly shoulder bumps and chirping. What hadn’t featured in his time with Bitty before however, were the shoulder bumps gradually dissolving into Bitty plastered to his side. Was the way he carefully intertwined their fingers and squeezed when he complimented his cooking. Was the softness in their voices, the fondness in their eyes neither were scared to show anymore. Was the way Bitty kept pressing kisses to his cheek, each imprint a little firmer, a little closer to his lips. And Jack felt them all burn. But he sat back, holding this golden boy’s hand, the setting sun’s light illuminating the kitchen and Bitty himself in a way that made Jack’s heart feel too full. 

“I’m so glad you forgot to ask me on this date, Bits,” He said, idly toying with Bitty’s fingers with the hand that wasn’t linked with his. A playful fire lit in Bitty’s eyes and he felt more than saw him try to shove himself away from Jack, using Jack’s own body as leverage, but Jack wouldn’t let him. Would never let him push him away anymore. Oh. He wouldn’t. He really wouldn’t, he thought to himself. And then, with extreme clarity, he gently took ahold of Bitty’s chin and he thinks or maybe says “Mon ange d’or,” before he presses their lips together. Neither of them should feel surprised by how well they fit; by how his lips seem to feel like they were made for this. 

When he thinks Bitty’s been thoroughly kissed, he pulls back, only enough to see his face, to softly caress his cheeks with both his hands. He doesn’t even remember letting go of Bitty’s, he faintly registers, but what’s more important is that Bitty’s perfectly styled hair is a little out of balance, that his lips look slightly swollen and redder than ever before and that his pupils are blown wide and that he says his name like a prayer. 

Eventually, after many more kisses and whispers exchanged between the two of them in their own little world, they untangle and head to the actual dance. His hand itches to hold Bitty’s and his lips long to reunite with his, but they can both wait. He’s content watching Bitty conquer the dance floor, smiling with abandon, positively glowing and knowing that he’s his. That his are the arms that wonderful boy will be falling asleep in. It’s the best dance he’s ever been to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mon ange d'or = my golden angel
> 
> I miss(ed) writing these boys so much. Why must unis have finals? Please just give me my degree for enthusiasm and interest alone? Hope you enjoyed this. I fell in love with this team, these boys and George even more writing this, so yeah..

**Author's Note:**

> I tried my hand at writing the team, BECAUSE I LOVE THE ENTIRE DYNAMIC!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to Ngozi from her webcomic Check, Please! (omgcheckplease.tumblr.com)


End file.
